Everyone is familiar with the smell of old books, but few know where the smell comes from, and why so many people are so enamored with the smell of old books that they are “nailed” at a library or used bookstore.
Old books have a very specific smell.
We all know that the older the treasure, the more valuable it is. Books are the treasure of mankind, so it is no exception.
The books that have been stored for tens or hundreds of years are not only valuable in terms of knowledge, but also have incalculable historical value.
But if you are a book lover, frequenting the library, you will realize that old books have a very specific smell. As Matija Strlic – a scholar at University College London (UK) once shared, the smell “is a combination of musty, vanilla, almond … mixed with a few acids”. It sounds horrible but can’t be resisted, as it “is like a signature piece of the book’s content, unmistakable nor denied”.
However, where did that smell come from? The secret lies in the hundreds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are embedded in paper, inks, and adhesives. Over time, the VOCs gradually disintegrate, releasing a rather “nosed” and characteristic amount of chemicals of old books.
In fact, each book will smell different, as it depends on the amount of VOCs used when making the book. According to a survey from a printing company, the almond smell is caused by benzaldehyde, the sweet smell is from toluene or ethyl benzene, and the floral scent is due to 2-ethyl hexanol.
New books don’t smell like that, partly because their components are less likely to degrade, and partly because for the past century or so we’ve been using paper with a lower quality wood.
Depending on when a book was printed, additional chemicals may be present, and these chemicals are even useful when the text is undetermined. For example, high levels of furfural are indicative of books published before the 1800s.
The study was published in the journals ACS Sensors, Analytical Chemistry and Heritage Science.
Experienced librarians can “smell” and recognize which books are severely damaged.
In addition, the smell of old books sometimes comes from factors that cannot be avoided over time: the smell of smoke, mold, or the smell of dried pressed flowers placed between the pages of the book.
But what does this smell matter?
This is an ability only experienced and seasoned librarians have: they can “smell” and recognize which books are severely damaged.
This skill is essential, as those books will need to be protected more closely, or reproduced as soon as possible. According to a study published in the journal Analytical Chemistry in 2009, there are about 15 VOC compounds that break down at a faster rate than normal, so be careful.
Books will deteriorate over time
People have been making and using books for more than 4,500 years. Initially, books were made of papyrus scrolls, then improved over time into paperback books and finally today we have e-books.
Australian science commentator Dr Karl Kruszelnicki says old books have a strange smell because the chemicals used in paper, ink and glue change and release gases.
“Old books have many odors, from slightly sour to musty,” he says. There are many descriptions of the smell of the books and many say that they smell like chocolate, stale, burnt, and even rotten socks. In the process of making paper and printing books, many chemicals are put into the book paper and do not decompose completely but remain in the paper. The smell of a book depends on the different types of paper, the chemicals used, and the time the book was published.”
A flashy book meant to be read during coffee breaks smells very different from a cheap black and white paperback.
When the book was published and the method of making books at that time also greatly affect the life of the book.
“You can read a book from 150 years ago and you can also read a book from 1,000 years ago,” says Dr. But the books that came out in the early 20s of the last century can’t be read today because they were made of cheap paper that many people could afford. To reduce costs, people just left the acid in the paper without reducing it, so many books at that time didn’t last long because they deteriorated pretty quickly.”
Why do old books bring back so many memories?
Bookstores often evoke many memories because books have a very unique smell.
For many people, the smell of an old book fills them with memories, memories, and pleasant feelings. Dr. Karl says the flood of memories when people smell an old book is due to our basic instincts.
Odor perception is not stimulated by the forebrain, but by the cerebrum. Smell is very important because every living thing up to a bacteria has a sense of smell to perceive smells.
A scent you’ve smelled in the past can bring back memories, like the scent your mother wore on special occasions or the smell of a car your family rode in. such as.
An old book may be the first time you hold it in your hand, but its old smell indirectly brings you back to past events or associations with other things and phenomena of the past.
